Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus

ABSTRACT

An attachment for a wire stripping gun whereby jumper wires are automatically advanced, stripped and cut. A pneumatically controlled transfer unit including two pistons and clamping jaws advances wire from a supply reel to a cutting die actuated by a pneumatically controlled piston. Pneumatically controlled pivoted spring fingers grip the wire advanced through the cutting die and position it adjacent the gun whereby the wire may be stripped and wrapped.

Ute States Patent [1 1 Staiger AUTOMATIC WIRE STRIPPING AND WRAPPING APPARATUS [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N.Y.

221 Filed: Mar. 7, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 232,415

Bruno Staiger, Erligheim, Germany [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 12, 1971 Germany P 21 12 024.1

[52] US. Cl 29/203 D [51] Int. Cl [58] Field of Search 29/203 B, 203 D,

- 29/203 H, 203 R, 203 DG [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,246,381 4/1966 Etchison, Jr. et a1 29/203 D non 43/04 [451 Nov. 27, 1973 7/1969 Reem et a1 29/203 D 6/1972 Micklewright 29/203 D Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Att0rneyC. Cornell Remsen, Jr. et a1.

[5 7 ABSTRACT An attachment for a wire stripping gun whereby jumper wires are automatically advanced, stripped and cut. A pneumatically controlled transfer unit including two pistons and clamping jaws advances wire from a supply reel to a cutting die actuated by a pneumatically controlled piston. Pneumatically controlled pivoted spring fingers grip the wire advanced through the cutting die and position it adjacent the gun whereby the wire may be stripped and wrapped.

3 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3,774,283

11 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 27, 1973 ll Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3,774,283

ll Sheets-Sheet 3 /1//// l// Ill Patented Nov. 27, 1973 ll Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3,774,283

11 Sheets-Sheet 5 W l K Patented Nov. 27, 1973 ll Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3,774,283

11 Sheets-Sheet '7 Fig.8

Patented Nov. 27, 1973 p 3,774,283

11 Sheets-Sheet 8 l Fig.9

Patented Nov. 27,1973 7 3,774,283

11 Sheets-Sheet 9 Pal ented Nov. 27, 1973 3,774,283

11- Sheets-Sheet 1O Patented Nov. 21, 1913 3,774,283

11 Sheets-8heet 11 AUTOMATIC WIRE STRIPPING AND WRAPPING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a wire stripping and wrapping gun and more particularly to such a gun which automatically prepares jumper wires and makes wire wrapped joints.

Numerous individual tools and devices are known with which jumper wires can be out either manually or mechanically and other devices are known with which the ends of insulated jumper wires can be stripped of their insulation. Devices are also known for producing wire wrapped joints instead of soldered joints. All of these devices are disadvantageous in that they require a substantial amount of time for wrapping an insulated wire onto a connecting terminal. Tools and mechanical wiring heads in which the functions of said cutting, threading and stripping a jumper wire are combined in one tool are also well known. These tools, which are either operated manually or according to a program, are subject however to the disadvantage that they usually cannot be held in the hand as hand tools, but rather are machines which require a large financial investment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore the main object of this invention is to provide a hand tool which automatically feeds, strips, cuts and wraps a jumper wire onto a terminal.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an automatic wire stripping and wrapping gun which is capable of providing a plurality of jumper connection wires from a single wire supply.

According to the present invention there is provided an automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus comprising a wire stripping and wrapping gun including a winding mandrel, a stripper and a wrapping device, wire transfer means connected to said gun, selectively operable wire cutting means coupled to said transfer means for receiving wire therefrom and severing said wire, and gripping means coupled to said gun adapted to grip the wire transmitted by said cutting means and to position said wire for operation thereon by said gun.

Further objects and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top view of an automatic wire and stripping and wrapping apparatus according to the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectioned view of FIG. 1 illustrating the inventive attachment to said gun;

FIG. 3 is a detailed illustration of the gripping means utilized with the inventive apparatus; and

FIGS 4-12 illustrate the sequence of operations of the subject invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The automatic wire stipping and wrapping gun illustrated in FIG. 1 essentially consists of the following subassemblies: a combined wire stripping and wrapping gun I, a pneumatic and mechanical attachment 2 with a gripping finger 3, a program control part 4 consisting of radial control valves, an integrated fluid circuit 5,

and a pneumatic amplifier 6. These subassemblies form a unit and are interconnected by corresponding lines, running e.g., from the program control part 4 to the attachment 2 via pneumatic line 7, or from the attachment 210 the fluid circuit 5 via pneumatic line 8.

Since the automatic wire stripping and wrapping gun operates with compressed air in all of its parts, only two connecting lines are required, i.e., a high-pressure line and a low-pressure line. For control purposes, including signalling, compressed air with low pressure, i.e., about 600 millimeters of water is necessary, while the operating function requires compressed air of about six atmospheres of pressure.

FIG. 2 shows the pneumatic and mechanical attachment 2 and the gripping finger 3 in a cross-sectional view. This attachment 2 with the gripping finger 3, laterally mounted in the front part of the wire stripping and wrapping gun 1, tensions, tranfers, cuts and holds an inserted jumper wire. Tothis end, it is equipped with a cutting head 9, a transfer part 10, and a gripping finger 3.

The cutting head 9 comprises a piston 11, whose rod 12 is beveled in its front portion; thus, when moved, this rod displaces a cutting die 13 positioned thereabove. This cutting die 13, in cooperation with a stationary part, cuts the inserted jumper wire 14 through.

The transfer part 10 must perform two functions: it must hold the jumper wire and subsequently transfer it.

To this end, it is provided with two pistons positioned The outer piston 18 of the double piston, upon admission thereto of compressed air of six atmospheres of pressure, moves in the piston housing up to the projection 19. In doing so, it advances the jumper wire 14, held by the clamping jaws 16, by an equal distance. The return movement of the piston 18 is caused by admission of compressed air in the opposite direction or by suction.

In order to enable the jumper wire 14 to be inserted not only from the direction of the extension of the pilot hole, a pulley 28 is arranged before the thread opening 20. Now, the jumper wire 14 can also be taken from a laterally positioned supply spool. This also increases the freedom of movement of the wire stripping and wrapping gun 1.

The gripping finger 3 has a rod 21, one end of which is pivotally mounted in the pneumatic and mechanical attachment 2. The other end of the rod 21 carries a gripping element 22. The rod 21 is made as a pipe, and through the hollow space therein the gripping element 22 is supplied with compressed air. Mounted in the gripping element 22 is a piston 23 which is held in its rest position by a spiral spring 24 and whose rod 25 carries a spring 26. The gripping element 22 of the grip ping finger 3 is led to the jumper wire 14, coming out of the pneumatic and mechanical attachment 2, by a compressed-air-operated piston acting at the fulcrum of the rod 21 and pulls the jumper wire through the wrapper sleeve of the wire stripping and wrapping gun FIG. 3 shows the front end of the gripping element 22 in an enlarged view and with a just gripped jumper wire 14. The leaf springs 26 clamped into the piston rod have, at their front ends, semicircular deformations pointing towards each other. In addition, the ends are spread so as to slide well over the jumper wire 14. For gripping, compressed air is admitted to piston 23; this causes the leaf springs 26 to move out of the pipe 27 and enables them to receive a jumper wire 14. The jumper wire 14 is then located in the semicircular deformations. During withdrawal, the leaf springs 26 enclose the jumper wire 14 and hold it positively in a slot of the pipe 27 until it has been passed through the wrapper sleeve.

FIGS 4 to 12 show the mode of operation of the automatic wire stripping and wrapping gun. In these figures, only the necessary parts are shown, partly in a simplified form. In FIG. 4, the jumper wire 14, which comes from a supply spool, has already been inserted in the pneumatic and mechanical attachment 2 and is being held by the clamping jaws 16.

The outer piston 18 moves forward in the piston housing by the distance X up to the projection 19, as illustrated in FIG. 5, advancing the jumper wire 14 by the distance X, too. The jumper wire 14 is then caught by the gripping element 22.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it is seen that the clamping jaws 16 have released their hold, and the gripping finger 3 pulls the jumper wire 14 through the wrapper sleeve of the wire stripping and wrapping gun 1.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the pistons 15 and 18 have returned to their initial positions, and the stripping of the jumper wire is initiated by the forward movement of the winding mandrel in the wrapper sleeve.

In FIG. 8 is it shown how the jumper wire 14, stripped of insulation and ready for winding, lies in the wire stripping and wrapping gun 1. In this position the gun is slipped over the pin to be wrapped, and the wrapping operation is initiated manually.

After the wire-wrap joint has been applied, as illustrated at 31 in FIG. 9, the front part of the wrapper sleeve closes, and the laying sleeve and the jumper wire 14 remain loosely hung therein. Thereby, the jumper wire may be laid and transferred with the wire stripping and wrapping gun 1. In the next operating position, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the cutting head 9 cuts the jumper wire 14 through when the gripping element 22 of the gripping finger 3 has caught it. Thereafter, the gripping finger 3 pulls the jumper wire through the wrapper sleeve.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the laying sleeve opens again, and the second wire stripping operation is initated by the winding mandrel 30 being moved forward.

FIG. 12 shows how the stripped jumper wire 14 lies in the wire stripping and wrapping gun. Now, the winding mandrel can be slipped over a pin, and the wirewrap connection can be made Thereafter, a new work cycle with the next piece of jumper wire can take place. The sequence starts again with the position shown in FIG. 4. Only when the wire supply on the supply spool has been used up does the jumper wire 14 finally leave the automatic wire stripping and wrapping gun.

The sequence of operations of the automatic wire stripping and wrapping gun is controlled via a pneumatic fluid control, which can be influenced from outside. Part of the control, i.e., the control sequence with its predetermined steps, is caused by the program control part 4. This is accompanied by a fluid scanning of the movements, whose fluid signals are processed in the integrated fluid circuit 5 and applied to the pnuematic amplifier 6, circuits of this type being well known in the art. Via a driving device, the amplifier 6 then advances the program control part with the radial control valves, so that the next step can take place.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description of specific examples of this invention is made by way of example only and is not to be considered as a limitation on its scope.

I claim:

1. Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus comprising:

a wire stripping and wrapping gun including a winding mandrel, a stripper and a wrapping sleeve; wire transfer means connected to said gun; selectively operable wire cutting means coupled to said transfer means for receiving wire therefrom and severing said wire; and

gripping means coupled to said gun adapted to grip the wire transmitted by said cutting means and to position said wire for operation thereon by said gun;

said transfer means including:

a first housing;

a first piston positioned within said first housing;

clamping means positioned in said first housing and responsive to the movement in a first direction of said piston for firmly clamping said wire; and

a second piston positioned within said first housing adapted to move in said first direction said clamping means and said clamped wire said first direction.

2. Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein said wire cutting means comprises:

a second housing;

a cutting die positioned in said second housing adapted to sever said wire upon activation thereof; and

a third piston positioned in said second housing adapted to move in said first direction to activate said cutting die.

3. Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus, according to claim 2, wherein said gripping means comprises:

a third housing;

spring fingers positoned in said third housing and adapted to extend therefrom for gripping said wire;

a fourth piston positioned in said third housing adapted to urge said spring fingers out of said third housing; and

pivoted position means coupled to said gun and adapted to move said third housing toward said cutting means to enable said spring fingers to grip the wire transmitted by said cutting means. 

1. Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus comprising: a wire stripping and wrapping gun including a winding mandrel, a stripper and a wrapping sleeve; wire transfer means connected to said gun; selectively operable wire cutting means coupled to said transfer means for receiving wire therefrom and severing said wire; and gripping means coupled to said gun adapted to grip the wire transmitted by said cutting means and to position said wire for operation thereon by said gun; said transfer means including: a first housing; a first piston positioned within said first housing; clamping means positioned in said first housing and responsive to the movement in a first direction of said piston for firmly clamping said wire; and a second piston positioned within said first housing adapted to move in said first direction said clamping means and said clamped wire said first direction.
 2. Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein said wire cutting means comprises: a second housing; a cutting die positioned in said second housing adapted to sever said wire upon activation thereof; and a third piston positioned in said second housing adapted to move in said first direction to activate said cutting die.
 3. Automatic wire stripping and wrapping apparatus, according to claim 2, wherein said gripping means comprises: a third housing; spring fingers positoned in said third housing and adapted to extend therefrom for gripping said wire; a fourth piston positioned in said third housing adapted to urge said spring fingers out of said third housing; and pivoted position means coupled to said gun and adapted to move said third housing toward said cutting means to enable said spring fingers to grip the wire transmitted by said cutting means. 